Social Media, Blogs and RSS

Event Detail

Thursday, April 17, 2014

Film Screening - Refuge: Caring for Survivors of Torture

More than one million refugees have come to the US, fleeing torture
and political violence,” begins Refuge: Caring for Survivors of
Torture, an outstanding new documentary from the Refuge Media
Project. The vast numbers are staggering, but what makes a greater
impression in this stand-out documentary are the small, individual
stories from survivors and those who offer them care and support as
they resettle in the US. Ben Achtenberg, project director at the
Refugee Media Project and producer/director of Refuge, says the
film – seven years in the making – came about as his general
interest in healthcare and mental health issues drew him to
organizations and healthcare providers that offer support to
survivors in the US. “During the same period I had started
contributing to organizations that work with survivors and, in
particular, was receiving the newsletters of [Center for Victims of
Torture] in Minneapolis and similar groups around the country,
about their work with survivors. At some point, it clicked that
this was the film I should focus on.” The stories presented in the
approximately one-hour film are diverse, from a physician from
Guatemala to an older man from Liberia who wishes to move his
daughter to the US. They have different stories of torture,
different stories of migration to the US, but they have all sought
refuge and have found their way to the various featured torture
treatment programs, many of which are IRCT members.